She thought the Olympic dream was over. In May 2022, Jona Aigouy seriously injured his knee. Then French javelin champion, the French delegation thinks it is losing one of its best chances in the discipline: “When I was injured in May 2022, the sky fell on my head and I believed that the Olympic Games were finished for me,” she explains in Le Parisien. But through hard work, the 24-year-old athlete managed to return to his best level. So much so that she became French Elite champion again last June in Albi, beating her personal record at the same time: “Eleven months ago, I had knee surgery and had to begin rehabilitation so when I beat my personal best in Albi by throwing 58.12 m, I was so happy.”
Having returned to his best level, the challenge is now to be able to take part in the Paris Games. In order to achieve this, athletes must obtain points in the best javelin competitions and thus obtain a good “ranking”. Problem is, these competitions take place far from French soil: Australia, Japan or even the United States. Travel is therefore expensive, especially in a sport with little media coverage which therefore does not bring in much. Aveyronnaise therefore mobilized different levers to find funds. Baby-sitting, high school supervisor and animator in summer camps. Even her student scholarships went there and finally some of her furniture, which she sold.
Following meetings with people moved by her story, she decided to launch an online fundraiser. This initiative was crowned with success since the amount reached was 30,000 euros. Support that counts: “It boosts my motivation even more and it highlights the difficulty young athletes have in providing for daily life and the needs of their family, alongside their career. We should be able to concentrate on our performances and our state of form but we have to manage the extra sporting aspects. This money will give me a breath of fresh air to achieve my goal.” Jona Aigouy, who we hope to see at the Paris Games, is still looking for sponsors.
